


Reunions

by orphan_account



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: -Ish, Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 17:13:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14265798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Aquaria walked into the workroom, she felt like she had come home. Until she saw the company there and all her feeling bubbled up to the surface. This wasn't going to be easy





	Reunions

Hey guys! So this is loosely based on a prompt that was floating around saying that craquaria had hooked up, the NY queens knew and that it would come up in Untucked. This is ignoring the evidence that they do talk (tbt that untucked footage of them laughing) and of course is fictional, not true and all that jazz. It's my first time writing in a while so do give feedback! Also, let’s pretend that in that particular challenge the winner is given before untucked. Sorry for the cheesy ending, I might pick this story up again at some point and work on it ante following events, tell me what you think! ~Beezz

 

Entering the Drag Race workroom felt like coming home for Aquaria. Ugh. Giovanni hated that kind of cliché language but he didn't know how to express it better. He had trained for years for this competition, for 10 long years. Despite his young age, he could actually feel confident in saying that he had been working towards this goal for longer than most of the queens here. He wasn't even scared.... or Aquaria wasn't at least. She knew she was good but Giovanni wasn't as confident, felt too young, too inexperienced..... what if they don't get it? What if I was just in this bubble and nothing that I've accomplished even matters?

And then he saw her. It made sense, really: preexisting drama, a friendship that turned sour because of it... it was a logic path to be taken, would make for good TV even with the producers not knowing anything.   
He knew Max was auditioning, that he wanted the kind of opportunities that Drag Race opened. 

The only problem was that the drama wasn't going to happen unless someone spilled, and Aquaria was sure no one would because few were aware of how deep it ran. Oh sure most New York girls heard about the hookup, but even that was just the tip of the iceberg. And while before she thought that her secret was safe, that the relationship was nothing outside of Max and her memories, now she knew better. Se could feel how Monet looked at her when she entered the workroom and everyone commented on how much Aquaria and Cracker looked like each other. She saw the wonder in her eyes when she and Max interacted, searching for a reaction. 

Like she would ever get one... Aquaria was a beautiful cover, the guardian of Giovanni's emotions... She wouldn't let anything slip. Not how open the wound still is despite the mutual nature of the breakup, not how much Giovanni wanted to ask about how Max was doing, was he seeing anyone? and certainly not how he still thought about it as a relationship.

See, the word relationship is misleading, it can mean a loving, exclusive commitment between two people in love or just a casual fling, made of late night rendez vous and no hard feeling. Theirs wasn't one or the other, barely a mix.   
For once, they didn't have sex that often. Sure, it's how it began but their nights were more spent speaking about the past, the future, their hurts and hopes or just silly retellings of happy moments than doing anything too sexual. Cracked had issues. Loads of them. She'd been on earth long enough to collect many stories to tell Giovanni but also things that she couldn't say, even under the cover of the dark. 

For the duration of their fling (he still didn't know what to call it, it wasn't anything official but wasn't nothing either) Giovanni thought he understood Max. He saw the insecurities, the doubts, the true smiles behind Miz Cracker. But apparently she didn't because when a few months in she was told "we're not right for each other, this should stop", he found nothing to say to that other than to agree, blindsided when he thought he knew everything about Max. (He told himself later that he agreed with the verdict, after a drunken night where Cracker and Aquaria yelled at each other, using every ounce of private information they had to destroy the other backstage at a show. No one knows how the shouting started, just that they were both left crying after)

(Or that's a lie, Giovanni remembers. He remembers being very drunk, being Aquaria and above all being pissed. Pissed at himself that he accepted to let go. Pissed at Miz for even considering it. Pissed at everyone for just smiling and not seeing how she felt like shit, how she lost someone so important. So she called Cracker out on being a copycat, on not having any original thoughts. Max got pissed at that, of course he did she knew he hated it. So he called her a brat and entitled and stupid while other queens reacted like they were just reading each other, like it was just a friendly show of wit. Stupid people.... they did go home together that night, kissing and biting and looking at each other in the eye while they fucked. Max didn't look at him when he left in the morning.

How cruel, waking up in the arms of someone you feel so much for, smiling at them and them just leaving without a word but still tucking you under the covers before they do so.)

So when Vixen called him out and he realised how wrong he had been in the argument, the consequences his simple weakness would have, Aquaria's mask fell. He cried and cried and when Cracker stepped in and said she knew he was smart but was against him, it broke his heart. First time talking about something that's not basic niceties or schedules at clubs and it's for him to be put down again. How wonderful.

The weeks continued like this, with people going until Ru announced an acting challenge where groups of two had to come up with comedy routines. It's feasible, Aquaria thought while searching for a partner with her eyes. Except that the groups were assigned and that she ended with, surprise, Cracker. They looked at each other and Max gave her a small smile that she returned, still ready to cooperate if it meant winning.

When she was setting up her and Miz's table, she saw her talk quietly to Monet, clearly about her. 

"So are you ready for this? She asked her when she arrived   
-Yeah I'm ready to win this challenge! You're lucky you ended up with me, Gio"  
And then she stopped in her tracks because no, this nickname wasn't supposed to be said here. They were just former friends in this room, nothing more complicated.

Cracker cleared her throat.   
« Ok so I think that we’re good on jokes, I’m a comedy queen and I know you can be funny when you want to. One thing that I think the judges will appreciate is chemistry: if there is a lot of interplay and a connection between us this will make us stand out big time. »

Great. Cracker was apparently going to ignore the drama and their history. Aquaria could work with that. 

In fact, she worked with that so well that, they won the challenge. Hearing Ru say that she thought her heart would explode. She won and now Max was hugging her tightly and whispering « Thank you Gio, you did great » in her hear, tucked in her neck and protected from the world by her wig. Now she was « Gio » again, not « Aquaria » like she has-d been referred to during the whole competition and challenge except for that one brief moment where Max forgot the cameras.

Going back to Untucked, smiling and keeping herself close to Cracker while being welcomed by scores from the safe queens, she felt on top of the world. This is what she was supposed to be. A winner, welcomed by her friends and- No, Max isn’t a part of that anymore, he doesn’t want to be. Having the older queen sat next to her, so tiny and cute in her dress, she wished that wasn’t true. 

« So how did the critiques go? Monique asked, From how bright you’re both smiling I guess you won? 

-Yes sis! Cracker yelled, I’m so glad they loved it I feel like I’m back on top of this competition.

-For once you’re topping something at least »

The queens cackled loudly after Monet’s comment and then the conversation turned to speculations as to who may be lip-synching.   
Aquaria talked a bit with Asia about this challenged and what they thought the biggest difficulties of comedy challenges were when she was interrupted by Monet. 

« Actually I’m downright surprised you guys work so well together, considering all that happened.

-Really girl? I mean yeah there was some drama but I don’t think that would prevent anyone from collaborating on that.

-Ahah Asia, girl, you don’t know the half of it »

To that, Cracker and Aquaria froze, both trying to no hear the implication.

« What do you mean, it’s not like they’re exes or anything, that’s just a simple little story, not anything so dramatic, y’all are mature and should know better.

-Well, not exes but they did hook up that one time didn’t they? »

Fuck dusty and every NY queen for being aware of that. Fuck Dusty for not thinking before speaking and fuck everyone right now for looking at them like they had something to explain. This was a private matter, they didn’t have any right to know.   
Aquaria got up and left, wanting air and not being able to face anyone. 

She didn’t hear the door open behind her in the smoking area until Max sat down next to her. 

« Well that was awkward, wasn’t it? 

-Fuck off, I know you don’t want to talk to me so don’t pretend. Fuck everyone for knowing.

-It’s ok Gio, Monet is taking care of it as best as she can, she knows about all of it.

-Please stop calling me like that, we’re not anything anymore, you don’t have a right to calm by my old nickname.

-Gio…

-Stop.

-No I think you don’t understand. 

-What is there to understand? You left me because you got bored and I wasn’t good for you or whatever so don’t you dare pretend you care or- She couldn’t finish her sentence because of tears filling her eyes and sobs gripping her throat. Damn, she was happy cameras weren’t around.

-Please don’t say that, Gio… I wanted you, of course I did. And I felt so good with you but… You’re so young. I’m more than 10 years older, I don’t think you realize how big the age difference is and how much it freaks me out. 

-You used to say I was very mature for my age.

-Of course you are… But I saw how calm and quiet you were when you were with me Giovanni, and how active you re when you get with your friends. It’s obvious that what we had wouldn’t go further than that, you didn’t want a relationship with an old man like me. 

-What the fuck, Max? You don’t get to make these decisions for me, I may be young but I’m old enough to know when I’m bored or when I’m happy… Do you really think it meant nothing to me? Why do you think I fought you that time at that club? What we had meant so much to me and when you said you wanted to end it I just felt like shit, I thought it was just a meaningless fling to you. »

Hearing that, Max held him tight, rubbing his hair and telling him again and again how none of this was true. They got back inside to fix their makeup before going onstage and while they were getting ready and the other queens looked like they were trying hard not to ask any question, Dusty came to apologize. They assured him they didn’t hold any grudge.

After the say ended and when they undressed in the workroom, Cracker came over to Aquaria’s stand, taking a hold of her hand and whispering 

« I know this is a tough time right now but when we get out of here, do you want to try this again? For real this time, with more communication and less drama. » 

Giovanni smiled at her, nodding. Drag race really was a new beginning.


End file.
